The NAIMUN LV Staff is pleased to announce a philanthropic partnership with World Bicycle Relief (WBR), a registered 501(c)(3) mobilizing people through the Power of Bicycles. WBR envisions a world where distance is no longer a barrier to education, healthcare and economic opportunity, and it has contributed to this goal tremendously.

Many people in the developing world depend on walking for personal transportation. From this extraneous effort, the completion of everyday tasks can be threatened by time and fatigue. Participating in school, seeking healthcare, and growing a small business become challenging when entrepreneurs and students must walk great distances each day.

“World Bicycle Relief (WBR) builds and distributes specially-designed, locally assembled, rugged bicycles. With the experience and expertise gained over the last 10 years designing and delivering more than 300,000 Buffalo Bicycles, WBR has developed an efficient, innovative and scalable model to successfully address the great need for reliable, affordable transportation in rural areas of developing countries.”

“WBR has built programs to provide specially designed, locally assembled bicycles for students, healthcare workers and entrepreneurs across Africa, South America and Southeast Asia. While the bicycles themselves help individuals conquer distance and increase their carrying capacity, WBR has also created new economic opportunities by training field mechanics and employing bike assemblers to support our local programs.”

The NAIMUN LV Staff is proud to contribute to WBR’s global impact, this year in tandem with the National Collegiate Security Conference (NCSC) XLV Staff, NAIMUN’s collegiate sister conference. Check out the video below to learn more about “The Power of Bicycles” and the impacts your donation at NAIMUN LV can have.

“Access to Opportunity: Improving Educational Outcomes

In rural developing countries, the biggest barrier to education is often the physical act of getting to school. Tasked with many more domestic chores than boys, girls fall behind because of the cultural obstacles they face. In many of the areas where we work, it is common for girls to arrive at school late and tired if they arrive at all.

By providing bicycles to children, especially girls, you can empower them with knowledge and ultimately, change the course of their lives. Keeping girls in school has been shown to have a multiplier effect that can help break the cycle of poverty.”

“Access to Markets: Empowering Communities to Thrive

In areas of the developing world where walking is the primary mode of transportation, distance is a challenge to earning a livelihood. Transportation plays an essential role in market access and productivity.

With bicycles, one can transport more produce from farm to market, more grain to the mill and more milk to the dairy collection center. Bicycles offers families the opportunity to build entrepreneurial businesses and create momentum for the entire community.”

“Access to Care: Improving Quality of Life

In the developing world, a Community Health Volunteer (CHV) will often walk long distances to provide care for patients as rugged terrain makes it difficult for them to access healthcare clinics. Research shows that CHVs reach 45% more patients more often with a bicycle. By visiting patients frequently and spending more time with them, caregivers can better understand and address their patients’ needs.

Bicycles also contribute to greater retention of volunteers within the healthcare program. Owning a bicycle comes with an extra benefit for healthcare providers. Bicycles can be used for personal errands, instead of walking, leaving more time for professional development.